Portage Bay reopened to spring season shellfish harvest

It is now possible to harvest in the Lummi Nation’s Portage Bay shellfish beds for most of the year, after the state department of health announced that important water quality standards are being met.

This follows the opening of 810 acres of shellfish beds in Blaine’s Drayton Harbor in late 2016, according to a press release from Whatcom Family Farmers (WFF), the unified public outreach arm of the watershed improvement districts and the Whatcom County Dairy Federation.

Effective April 1, harvesters can operate from January through September on approximately 800 acres in Portage Bay, whereas they were previously restricted during the important April through June period.

“This is wonderful news for the Lummi harvesters who have had their shellfish harvest restricted,” said WFF board president Brad Rader. “When farmers formed the Portage Bay Partnership with the Lummi leaders, they made it clear they were committed to continued hard work on addressing potential contamination from farms, but also from all sources of contamination. This shows that commitment is paying off.”

The opening was announced on March 18 by the Whatcom County public works department, which noted that the fall harvest closure remains in effect October through December due to high bacteria levels in the bay during that period.

The three months of continued closure are the rainy months of the year, when rain flushes bacteria from a variety of sources into the bay. This includes fecal coliform, which refers to a variety of human, animal and naturally-occurring bacteria.

As shellfish filter the water for food, their systems are particularly sensitive to the accumulation of bacteria which can then pose health problems for consumers.

In the two years since the Portage Bay Partnership was formed, water quality has markedly improved with 80 percent of the sites tested showing improvement in the past year. Over 5,200 water quality samples have been analyzed in the past year.

“No doubt we have seen strong progress and we want to acknowledge the great work done by so many of our farmers to protect water quality,” said Portage Bay Shellfish Advisory Committee member Fred Likkel. “But we will not rest until we are certain contamination from farms is further reduced or eliminated.”

Whatcom County farmers have taken various steps to reduce contamination from farms. Inspection protocols involving dairy farms have been adjusted, septic systems are now more routinely checked, a transboundary working group has been formed to minimize the impact from Canadian sources, and DNA testing is being done to determine the animal sources contributing to water quality problems.

Other activities to reduce bacteria pollution from animal waste included fencing farm animals out of saturated pastures and waterways, managing manure and mud in pastures and storage areas, planting shrubs and trees along creek banks, picking up dog waste and securing pet food to deter wildlife.

According to a Whatcom County press release, actions to reduce bacteria pollution from human waste have included evaluation and repair of septic systems and work in the city of Lynden to address sewer cross connections and to offer sewer hook-up to eligible residents.

“This is a prime example of how successful we can be when communities pull together to protect and improve sensitive, important resources,” said Scott Berbells, manager of the shellfish growing area section. “We can all take pride in the results of that teamwork in the Nooksack watershed.”

The county created the Portage Bay shellfish protection district and advisory committee in 1998 to address the bay’s bacteria pollution and poor water quality. Between 1996 and 2006, portions of Portage Bay were closed to shellfish harvesting year-round. By 2006, after many management and infrastructure changes and resulting improvements to water quality, Washington Department of Health removed the harvesting restrictions. However, after just a few years of relaxed attention to pollution prevention, bacteria levels in both the Nooksack River and Portage Bay began to climb. By 2015 the department closed harvest during spring and fall seasons for 800 acres of shellfish beds in Portage Bay.

“We are glad to see that the spring season harvest closure is being lifted, but we remain concerned about continued poor water quality during the fall months,” said Merle Jefferson, Lummi natural resources department executive director. “As we move forward in tackling the remaining problems, the Lummi Nation remains committed to continuing to work with community partners to improve water quality throughout the Nooksack River watershed.”